Range finder for use upon aerial vehicles or machines.



W. WAIT, In. RANGE FINDER FOR USE UPON AERIAL VEHICLES 0R MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED APR. 24. was.

1,238,967. PatentedSept. 4, 1917.

nnonwsr WILLIAM WAIT, JR, OI PEEKSKILL, NEW YORK.

RANGE 'ZTINDER FOR USE UPON AERIAL VEHICLES 0R MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 1917.

Application filed April 24, 1916. Serial No. 93,104.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAllI WAIT, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Ieekskill, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Range-Finders for Use upon Aerial Vehicles or' Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sighting devices upon aerial machines for determining the moment for ejecting a projectile or missile from the machine, and its object is to provide means combined with an observation tube, which may be a telescope, for automatically providing for sudden changes in the velocityor altitude of the machine when a missile is about to be dropped. The object is attained by the means set forth in this specification and the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows in elevation a telescope in combination with the device constituting this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the top of the device. Fig. 3 is-an elevation of the device viewed from the right hand end. Fig. 4 is a representation of an adjusting scale; Fig. 5 is a detail relating to a toothed sector.

The telescope or whatever form of sighting device is employed, is supported upon standard 6, b, swinging upon trunnions b. A toothed sector e is attached to one of the trunnions, and a rack f engaging with the sector places the instrument under the control of this-movements of the telescope. n

This instrument is to be used in connec tion with electrical means for releasing a missile; but this application for patent embraces no more of the electrical devices than the conta ting points that in closing actuate the electrical devices. The instrument is constructed upon a frame comprising standards (Z, (Z, the frame being rigidly connected with the frame that supports the range finder by a base as at c.

Upon the top of. thestamlards d is a base 1, Figs. 1 2 3, that is channeled to receive .a sliding base 2. A channel in the base 2 admits a bar 3 which is reduced in size at its extreme end 4, and is provided at its extremity with a contact point The bar 3 slides freely in its place, and. is adjustable longitudinally. a thumb screw 10 being employed to fit the slide in position. Upon'one side of the slide is a pointer 17 which traverses a scale 16 on the base 2.

Upon the inner end of the base 2 isan elevated bracket 10. Upon the opposite end of the base 1 a crank-lever u t is pivoted, and the arm u is connected with the bracket 10 by a bar '0, so that moving the bell-crank imparts a reciprocating motion to the sliding base 2. Near the foot of one of the standards (Z a lever p q is pivoted at 1'. The

' outer end 9 of the lever is connected with the arm t of the aforesaid bell-crank by a rod 3 by means of pivoted connections 41/ and .n"". The end 1) of the lower lever is bifurcated at its end to engage with the rim .of the disk 0. The disk 0 is slidableupon a. vertical shaft k which has bearings at I, Fig. 1, at its lower end, and at jat its upper end. A collar y is fast on the upper end of the shaft, and a collar y at the lower end of the shaft is fast to or integral With the disk 0. The .two collars are united by flat springs or m, having weights n it fast to them midway between the collars, constituting a common form of spring centrifugal governor. In Fig. 3 the springs are shown as slightly expanded and lifting the disk 0.

At the top of the standards beneath the base 1 is a recess at i, see Fig. 1, and the body at each end is pierced to receive a bar g g. The middle part of the bar is a toothed rack as at It. Upon the upper end of the shaft 1. is a pinion i that engages with the rack. Obviously, quickly moving the rack will cause action of the governor just described, and the raising and lowering of the disk 0 will cause a movement of the base 2. The outer end of the bar {I g terminates in :1

-- bracket 6 that is provided with an electrical contact point 7 which is in alinement with the contact point 5. Under normal conditions the bar -1 that carries the point 5 may be set so that in action the point 7 will be drawn forward to contact with the point 5 in a given time. If conditions change and cause an increase in the velocity of the point 7 the governor will be set in action and the point 5 will be pushed backward. acceleratingthe time in the meeting of the points.

The bar a t at its forward end is provided with a hinged rack f, swinging upon a pivot 7". Upon one of the trunnions 7) of the range finder an arm (2 w carries a parabolical segment 6 and with its toothed Movement 0 point]? may be considered 'as a mowing 'consurface the rack f engages; and throu h this sector and rack the instrument descri comes controllable by the movements of the range finder. A spring a serves to maintain the'contact of the toothed surfaces.

The arm of the sector is shown in enlarged detail in Fig. 5 from the side that would be toward the operator The part c is made slidable upon the part 6 Side flanges upon the part c at 15 steady the part e, and a thumb nut 12 in the main arm and a slot as 13 in the sliding arm renders the arm adjustable as to length. A scale 14 and a fixed oint 14' adapts the arm for suitable caliliration for adjustments of the length of the arm.

In Fig. 4, u

on an enlarged scale, is shown the sliding ta le 'Q and a portion of the sliding arm 3, with a pointer 17 on the bar 3 and ascale 16 upon the base 2, the scale adapted to be calibrated for altitudes or rather for velocities for given altitudes, the altitudes to be obtained with an aneroid barometer.

The operation of the device is as follows: The altitude being determined by the barometer the bar 3 and the sector 6 will be set in accordance with their respective scales. These adjustments being made the o erator sights the object aimed at through tlih ran e finder, and follows the object with it as t e machine approaches the vertical over: the object, the missile being dropped, of course, before the vertical is attained. In approaching the object the arc of movement of the range finder imparts movement to the sliding bar g. This movement would eventually bring the contact points 5 and 7 together, and if the altitude and the speed of the machine remained constant, the adjustments of the scales would at the proper moment drop the missile without operating the governor.

But altitudes and velocities vary, and the speed of the machine is liable to vary under varying atmospheric conditions, hence the means shofivn for automatically determining and allowin for these varying factors. the range finder through'the rack on the sliding bar rotates the governor when moved quickly, and the governor in turnthrough its level and crank connections with the sliding table 2, hastens the coming together of the contact points; the hastening of the meeting of the contact points being in proportion as the speed of the movement of the machine requires the more rapid movement of the range finder, a speed over what would be calculated upon the scales.

In looking at the instrument the contact tact and the point 5 as a normally fixed oon tact ince its movement is effected automatitall and only under changing conditions. The sector a as shown is employed as a.

d bcsliding base means of preserving an even movement bctwoen the related parts; but any suitable means may be employed as a substitute therefor.

Claims:

1. In a device of the character described a telescope mounted upon trunnions; a toothed adjustable sector secured to one of the trunnions; a spring governor; a sliding base operative by said governor; a sliding bar on the siding base adjustable on said an electrical contact point on the rear. end of the sliding bar; a sliding rack bar beneath the sliding base, a rack on said bar, an electrical contact point on the rear end of said bar in alinement with the contact point on the adjustable bar, the rack on said bar engaging with a pinion .on the governor shaft; and a rack pivoted-to the forward end of said bar to engage with the sector on the telescope.

2. In a device of the character described, a frame; a sliding base in the top of the frame; a rack bar extended longitudinally through the frame contiguous to and paraL lel with the sliding base; a spring governor within the frame, a pinion on the governor shaft engaging with the rack bar, a disk slidable on the governor shaft operated by the governor springs, a lever pivoted in the frame engaging with the said disk, a bell crank pivoted to the top of the frame, the outer end of the disk lever connected with. one arm of thebell crank, a bracket on the sliding base said bracket connected with an arm of the said bell crank; a longitudinally adjustable sliding bar on the sliding base, an electrical contact point on the rear end of the sliding bar, a pointer on the sliding bar and a scale on the sliding base; an electrical contact point on the rear end of the sliding base the twocontact points in alinement one with the other; and means at the forward end of the said rack bar for connecting said bar with a sighting device.

3. In a device of the character described, a frame; a sliding base in the top of the frame; a rack bar extended'longitudinally through the frame contiguous to the sliding base; a spring governor within the frame, a pinion on thegovernorshaft engaged with the rack bar, a disk slidable on the governor shaft operated by the governor, a, lever pivoted in the frame engaging with said disk, a. bell frame, the outer end of the disk lever connected with one end of the bell crank a.

connected with an armof thebell crank; 11

crank pivoted to the top of the longitudinally adjustable sliding bar on the 1 sli i ng base, an electrical contact point on the rearendof the sliding bar; an electrical contact point on the rear end of the sliding base the two contact points in alinement one with the other; a rack pivoted to the forward end of the said rack bar; and a segment secured in :1 trunnion of a sighling device for ung'ngelnunt with the said connucting bar.

4. 111 11 device (11" the character descrihed fur timing {he dropping of missiles, inunns 'l'nr runnvtling the dm'iuv with a sighling duvh-e comprising the urinating hur, :1 ruck haulivnlud tn thu :n'llml'ing liar, and :1 swtnr surnrvd (u :1 lrnnniun of the sighting dm'irv, ,Qvm' lmlh oil the swim tn vngngu with said FZH'h. the :wrtm' rnnnecliun with thv trunniun living ildjllhtilllll in its length, and :11 puintcr 21nd svnlu ()l] the ndjmlnhlv parts.

5. 'llncombination in an inslrnlnunl as dosrrihed of :1 sighting devil-e, :1 slidinglmr cunalitnling :1 111011115 fur (Hurling an electri- (nl mntnct, and means for operating said lmr by the sighting device, and adjnstnhlu inn-1111s 0n :1 sliding base ndjnvunt u said lmi for a nornmlly fixed cuntzul, means fur rhanging the fixed CUIIHICL to :1 quickly movin; rnntan-t, comprising :1 guwrnnr. means by which the sliding bur nrtnnlns thv gurvl'nm'. and lover (-nnnorting 1111-11115 hvlmwrn the gw-wrnur :1nd lhv z1idslidingbns0.

WILLIAM WAIT, JR.

\l'ilncsses:

\VHMAM \YAIT, K. E. Axmmsnx. 

